Transferring mechanism for automatic filling-replenishing looms



A. E. RHOADES. TRANSFERRING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC FILLING REPLENISHING LOOMS. APPLICATION FILED AUG-5. I920.

1,395,010, Patented Oct. 25, 1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

ALONZO E. RHOADES, 0F HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR- T0 DRAPER CORPO- RATION, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

TRANSFERRING MECHANISM FOR, AUTGMATIC FILLING-REPLENISHTNG LOOMS.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Oct. 25, 1921.

Application filed August 5, 1320. Serial No. 401,490.

To all whom 2'25 may concern: I

Be it known that I, ALoNzo E. RHoADEs, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Hopedale, county of Vorcester, State'of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Transferring Mechanism for Automatic Filling-Replenishing Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to improvements in filling replenishing looms in which a supply of filling carriers is maintained in a battery or hopper from which they are transferred successively to the active shuttle by a suitable transferrer, and the principal object of the invention is to provide means for insuring the transfer of a properly positioned filling carrier to the shuttle and to prevent the transfer of an improperly posisitioned filling carrier and thereby prevent a smash or breakage of parts of the transferring mechanism.

The invention is disclosed herein as applied to an automatic filling replenishing loom of the well known Northrop type in which an intermittently rotatable hopper, having a series of peripheral filling carrier supporting recesses, is employed, but it will be understood that the invention may be applied to other types of battery mechanisms for automatic filling replenishing looms.

In the usual hopper mechanism of a Northrop type of filling replenishing looms the disk which supports the filling carriers is intermittently rotated to advance the filling carriers to transferring position and when the filling carrier reaches transferring position it engages with an abutment located upon the hopper stand in alinement with the position of the shuttle at the time transferring action takes place. The intermittent rotation of the disk or hopper occasionally is insufficient to place the filling carrier properly in transferring position, and upon other occasions an overthrow of the mechanism for locating the hopper would cause the filling carrier, after engaging the abutment, slightly to rebound and thereby to displace the filling carrier from proper transferring position. In either event the blow of the transferrer upon the improperly positioned carrier is likely to thrust said carrier against a rigid part of the loom and thereby to cause a smash which some times results in the breakage of parts of the loom.

Th present invention contemplates the provislon of automatically operable means carried by the transferrer which will select vely force a properly positioned filling carrier into the shuttle and which will, upon engagement with an improperly positioned filling carrier, prevent transfer without causing a smash, preferably by rotating the hopper in a retrograde direction.

Other objects and features of the invention will more fully appear from the followdescription and the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed claims. 1

The drawings illustrate a sufiicient portion of a Northrop loom of the usual type to show the invention as embodied therein.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end elevation, partly in transverse section, of a sufiicient portion of a loom to disclose the application of the invention thereto,

F 2 is an end elevation of the transferrer showing a preferred embodiment of the invention applied thereto,

Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation of a portion of the transfer arm and head showing the filling carrier engaging member pivotally mounted thereon engaging a filling carrier which is in proper transferring position, and,

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the pivotally mounted filling carrier engaging member engaging an improperly positioned fillina' carrier.

The loom illustrated in the accompanying drawings is of the usual Northrop type comprising a side frame 1 having a breast beam 2 upon which is mounted a hopper stand 3 having a horizontal shaft 4 upon which is mounted the usual rotary disks which support the filling carriers. One of these disks 5 is illustrated herein as having a series of peripheral sockets 6 to receive the filling carriers.

The transferrer is of the usual type comprising an arm '7 which is pivotally mounted upon a transferrer stud 8 projecting from the hopper stand and having at its opposite end a head 9. The transferrer is also provided with a downwardly depending arm 10 upon which is mounted a dagger 11 which is adapted to be engaged, upon call for transfer, with the usual hunter upon the lay 12 which is supported upon the usual swords 13 and is actuated in any well known manner.

Any suitable type of controlling mechanism may be provided for initiating the action of the transferring mechanism upon breakage of filling, or exhaustion of filling, in the active shuttle.

y r The hopper disk 5 is provided with an annular ratchet 14: which is engaged by a. pawl 15 pivotally mounted upon a stud 16 on the transfer arm, and provided with a suitable stud to engage the teeth of the'ratchet 1 1. Upon the downward movement of the transfer arm, when it is actuated to thrust a filling carrier into the shuttle, the pawl 15 drops from one tooth of the ratchet 14: to the next, and upon upward movement of the transfer arm the disk is rotated one step to bring the leading filling carrier of the series into transferring position, at which time it contacts with an abutment 17 carried by the hopper stand. The hopper, when thus ro tated, is locked at each step of rotation by a dog 18 which engages the proper tooth of the ratchet 14. The teeth of the ratchet it do not present abrupt shoulders so that the hopper disk may be moved quite readily in either direction by hand.

During the operation of the transferring mechanism the disk some times is not rotated sufficiently to bring the leading filling carrier into transferring position. At other times the hopper disk is rotated so vigorously bythe transferring mechanism as to cause the leading filling carrier to rebound upon its engagement with the abutment 17 and'thus to be improperly positioned relatively to the shuttle. In either instance, the blow of the transfer arm upon said improperly positioned filling carrier is likely to cause a smash, or to break some part of the loom.' i v 7 By the present invention means have been provided which will automatically insure the transfer of a properly positioned filling carrier to the active shuttle and which will prevent the transfer of an improperly poferrer, the stud being held in place by a collar 25, or by any other suitable means.

'The filling carrier engaging member is provided with a re'e'ntrant, preferably concave, face 26 to engage the base portion of the filling carrier to be transferred. The filling carrier engaging'member is also provided with shoulders 27, 28 adapted respectively to engage the shoulders 20, 21 upon the head of the transferrer and thereby to limit the pivotal movement of the filling car rier engaging member. The relation of the cooperating shoulders 20, 27 is such that when, upon the downward movement of the transferrer, the filling carrier engaging member engages a properly positionec. carrier, said carrier will be thrust from the hopper directly into the shuttle. hen, however, the reentrant or concave faceof the filling carrier engaging member comes in contact with an improperly positioned fill ing carrier, said filling carrier engaging member will be rocked about its pivot until the shoulder 28 engages the shoulder 21 upon the head. Thereupon further downward movement of I the transferrer will cause the filling carrier to be forced laterally, and inasmuch as it is held in a recess 6 of the hopper disk 5, the hopper disk will be rotated in a retrograde direction sufiiciently to remove the filling carrier from transferring position without discharging it from the .disk or hopper. Upon the upward movement of the transferrer the pawl l5v will rotate the hopper disk forwardly nd again place the filling carrier in transfer-ring position. If, in the meantime, transfer is again called for by the detecting mechanism of the loom, the transferrer will again be forced downwardly and should the filling carrier be properly positioned this time it will be transferred to the shuttle,but 1f improperly POSltiOIlBd the action of the filling 'CHIIIGP engaging member will again rotate the disk in a retrograde direction and will continue to do so upon successive action of the transferrer until the loom is automatically stopped in theusual manner. 7

By reason of this invention, therefore, the transfer of a properly positioned filling carrier to the shuttle is insured and means are provided whereby an improperly-positioned filling carrier cannot cause harm to the loom. Furthermore, in'many instances, the retrograde movement of the hopper, which is effected by reason'of the engagement of the filling carrier engaging member witha filling carrierwhich is not'properly positioned, by reason of insufficient rotation of the hopper disk, or by the rebound of the hopper, will enable the next forward rotation of the hopper diskproperlyito place the filling carrier in 'transferring position so that stoppage of the loom'is avoided.

It will be understood that the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is illustratlveand ,-not restrlctive. and that varlous modifications in form, construction, and arrangement of parts may be made within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an automatic filling replenishing loom comprising a hopper to support a supply of filling carriers, a transferrer for forcing a filling carrier from the hopper into the active shuttle, and means for positioning said filling carriers successively in the path of said transferrer, filling carrier engaging means partaking the movement of said transferrer automatically operable upon actuation of the transferrer selectively to force a properly positioned filling carrier from the hopper into the shuttle and to remove an improperly positioned filling carrier from transferring position.

2. In an automatic filling replenishing loom comprising a hopper to support a sup ply of filling carriers, a transferrer for forc ing a filling carrier from the hopper into the active shuttle, and means for positioning said filling carriers successively in the path of said transferrer, filling carrier engaging means pivotally mounted upon said transferrer to swing upon a short radius and automatically operable selectively to force a properly positioned filling carrier from the hopper into the shuttle and to remove an improperly positioned filling carrier from transferring position.

3. In an automatic filling replenishing loom comprising a hopper to support a supply of filling carriers, a transferrer for forcing a filling carrier from the hopper into the active shuttle, and means for positioning said filling carriers successively in the path of said transferrer, means pivotally mounted on said transferrer to swing upon a short radius having a reentrant face adapted to engage a filling carrier upon actuation of said transferrer, and means for limiting the pivotal movement of said filling carrier engaging means in either direction to cause the same selectively to force a properly positioned filling carrier from the hopper into the shuttle and to prevent transfer of an improperly positioned filling carrier.

4. In an automatic filling replenishing loom comprising a rotary hopper having means for supporting a series of filling carriers, a transferrer having a head, means for rotating said hopper to position the filling carriers successively in the path of said transferrer, filling carrier engaging means carried by said transferrer head and automatically operable upon actuation of said transferrer selectively to force a properly positioned filling carrier from the hopper into the shuttle and upon engagement with an improperly positioned carrier to rotate said hopper in a retrograde direction and thereby to prevent transfer of said filling carrier.

5. In an automatic filling replenishing loom; comprising a rotary hopper having means for supporting aseries of. filling carriers, means for rotating said hopper to present said filling carriers successively in transferring position, a pivotally mounted transferrer having a head a member presenting a reentrant face to engage a positioned filling carrier pivotally mounted on said head to swing upon a short radius and oper able upon actuation of said transferrer se lectively to force a properly positioned filling carrier from the hopper into the shuttle and upon engagement with an improperly positioned filling carrier to rotate said hopper in a retrograde direction and thereby to prevent transfer.

6. In an automatic filling replenishing loom comprising a rotary hopper having means for supporting a series of filling carriers, means for rotating said hopper to present said filling carriers successively in transferring position, a pivotally mounted transferrer having a head provided with a cylindrical, concave bearing, a member having a complementary cylindrical bearing engaging said seat pivotally mounted on said head and provided with a reentrant face to engage a positioned filling carrier, means for limiting the pivotal movement of said filling carrier engaging member to cause the same when in engagement with a properly positioned filling carrier to force said filling carrier into the shuttle and when in engagement with an improperly positioned filling carrier to rotate said hopper in a retrograde direction and thereby prevent transfer.

7. A transfer arm for automatic filling replenishing looms comprising a head a filling carrier engaging member presenting a reentrant face to engage the filling carrier pivotally mounted on said head to swing upon a short radius, and means for limiting the pivotal movement of said filling carrier engaging member.

8. A transfer arm for automatic filling replenishing looms comprising a head a filling carrier engaging member presenting a rentrant face to engage the filling carrier pivotally mounted on said head to swing upon a short radius, said head and filling carrier engaging member having cooperating shoulders for limiting the pivotal movement of said filling carrier enga 'ng member.

In testimony whereof, have signed my name to this specification.

ALONZO E. RHOADES. 

